Usually teeth are not given much importance. This part of the human body, as a rule, is the least noticeable in the life of the body and does not attract much attention. The only case when teeth actually begin to interest a person is when they suffer from some kind of disease, hurt, and require therapeutic measures.
But the situation is completely different with regard to teeth when it comes to small children. If official dentistry is rather dry and does not see a big miracle in children’s first teeth, then popular wisdom treats this phenomenon completely differently.
For a long time, our people have treated teething in babies with special trepidation. Numerous signs and customs are dedicated to this event, based on which, based on the nature of how and when the first tooth came out, one can predict the fate of the child or his mother.
Of course, all this is quite naive, but, nevertheless, extremely interesting and exciting. Let's look at what interesting signs there are associated with the appearance of the first tooth in very recently born babies, what it means if a child was born with a tooth, and some other interesting beliefs and cases.
Signs known and not so
Every mother, grandmother, and sometimes father eagerly awaits the moment when they see their child’s first baby tooth erupt.
This usually occurs at the age of 4-7 months and greatly depends on the individual characteristics of the individual child. In beliefs, great importance is attached not only to the very fact of the appearance of a tooth, but also to other important nuances: where it appeared, on the upper or lower jaw, how quickly it grows, whether the tooth hurts the baby and whether it causes him discomfort.
Each such event has gathered around some fables and signs that young mothers love to find out.
On a positive note...
So, if a child’s first tooth appears a little earlier than the due date (up to 4-5 months), this means that the mother has yet to give birth to a brother or sister. If the first tooth has grown on the upper jaw, this means that
This girl's parents should prepare for a new baby
The mother's future second child will appear very soon - within just one year from the birth of the first.
If a child’s first tooth appears somewhat late in relation to the average statistical norm, then there is a popular belief that this baby will grow up to be an unusual person. He will definitely be endowed with great talents, abilities, will be hardworking and inclined to any serious activity.
If between the first grown teeth there is a large gap into which a coin can fit edge-on, then, according to grandmothers who love various beliefs, this is an indicator that in the future the child will have no end to representatives of the opposite sex.
On a minor note
True, not all signs associated with the first tooth are so rosy. There are also the exact opposite. For example, it is believed that if the first teeth grow slowly, painfully and cause big problems for a little man, then this indicates that he will grow up with a quarrelsome character, will be grumpy and intractable.
By the way, this sign is completely connected with real psychology - if a child suffers from teething for a long time, parents will try to compensate for his suffering with gifts, toys and other pleasant things, thanks to which he can get used to it and grow up to be an excessive egoist.
It is also considered a rather bad omen if a baby’s fang erupts first. Such children were often considered dysfunctional, associated with evil spirits, and all sorts of suffering and even death at a young age were predicted for them.
In some countries, for example, Africa, a woman who gave birth to such a child could even be kicked out of the village so that she would not bring misfortune and God's punishment on its inhabitants.
Should you keep or throw away baby teeth?
Keeping or throwing away the first teeth that fall out is a personal matter for each parent . Superstitious people believe that it is better to preserve them. Because discarded teeth can be found by enemies and bring damage or the evil eye to its owner.
Many mothers keep special boxes where they put all the things that remind them of the wonderful events associated with their children. It is in such a box that you can put your child’s teeth, along with the first hairs and a tag from the maternity hospital.
Today, signs and customs associated with baby teeth are gradually fading into the background. Modern parents are increasingly approaching this issue based on a scientific point of view. But no one prevents us from sometimes turning to the traditions of our ancestors, leaving only good signs and customs in the present.
Subscribe to our Social networks
A lot depends on the speed of cutting...if you believe the signs
Every caring mother notices how quickly her beloved child’s teeth grow. Several interesting beliefs and signs are also attributed to this fact, which, however, echo the previous ones.
If the teeth grow quickly, without much pain and do not cause noticeable discomfort to the baby, then he will be a good person with a fairly pleasant character, will be able to get along well with others and will easily find a mate. If the process slows down, then this indicates that the person may well grow up to be quite nasty, will love to quarrel and create scandals, and will not be able to normally find a common language with many others.
But young mothers who have seen similar behavior in their children should under no circumstances worry or despair. It is clear that all such stories exist simply for the sake of being; they cannot determine a person’s future. If beliefs are not on your side, then you certainly shouldn’t despair.
What is customary to give for the appearance of the first tooth?
Since such an important event in the family will not go unnoticed by the household (the joint efforts of the young mother and baby will be quite enough for this), it is not customary to ignore it. The baby is given a certain gift for this memorable event. Most often, according to a rather ancient folk custom, a small silver spoon is given to a child for his first tooth.
Different beliefs differ slightly on who exactly should do this. Initially, such a task was assigned to the child’s godparents, but most often this point of the ritual is not observed and gifts can be given to absolutely everyone: parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and other more or less distant relatives. You also need to remember here that a spoon is given for a reason. You still need to lightly tap the new “settler” in your mouth with it.
Unlike other customs, in the case of a spoon everything is quite logical and common sense. The fact is that it is during the period of 4-7 months that a child begins to consume other products in addition to milk. Therefore, the spoon will be quite useful to him for these purposes.
Regarding the question of material, silver is considered the purest metal, capable of killing germs and disinfecting the environment in which it is located. It is not for nothing that even a silver cross is dipped into water during baptism. By feeding the baby with such a spoon, parents gain greater confidence that harmful microbes and bacteria will not enter the baby’s oral cavity with this cutlery.
Which spoon to choose for the first tooth
When choosing, you need to consider several parameters:
|
What do godparents give for the first tooth?
It is advisable to give godparents a silver spoon with Orthodox symbols. This could be a model with a cross, an image of a Saint, a Guardian Angel, a prayer “Save and Preserve,” an image of a climbing vine, an inscription “To the Godson” or “Goddaughter.” Such a spoon will become a valuable keepsake, a symbol of spiritual ties.
What do grandparents give a child for his first tooth?
Grandparents try to give their grandchildren the best, so you can trust them to give a silver spoon. The most convenient model for a child to use is a teaspoon with a wide handle, without a large number of decorative parts.
Maternity hospital “teethers”
It also rarely happens that children are born with teeth. Different nations have radically different views on this matter. In medieval Europe, such an event meant only one thing (like many others, especially related to any everyday joys) - the child is a fiend of hell, the heavens are angry when looking at him and he is absolutely forbidden to live. Therefore, such children were often simply put to death.
But not every region of the world was marked by such barbarity. There were also nations in which such a special child aroused joy and admiration and was considered a great success for the parents. In fact, the only trouble it can cause is pain for the mother during breastfeeding.
Causes for concern
When a child remains without teeth after turning one year old, parents should take him to the doctor. Of course, the time at which chewing organs appear may vary. For example, in boys this process occurs more slowly than in girls. But, there are situations when medical consultation is absolutely necessary.
- An urgent visit to a pediatrician is necessary at a high temperature of more than 39 degrees.
- The baby should be shown to a doctor if symptoms such as frequent diarrhea and vomiting develop.
- An orthodontist is consulted if a malocclusion is suspected. Perhaps, after the eruption of incisors, canines, and molars, he needs therapy. In such situations, braces are used for children while the jaw apparatus is pliable.
- A specialist should examine a newborn whose units appeared in the prenatal period.
- A dentist is consulted if the organs are not formed in the dentition.
Therapy may consist of strengthening the health of the toddler, performing special exercises, and massaging the gums.
Some other signs
There are also other signs related to the baby’s first teeth. Here are just a few of them:
- if a child was born with one tooth, he will have a great future and become a great warrior (strong, courageous);
- how many new teeth will a baby grow by the age of 1, how many brothers and sisters will he have;
- Some peoples believed that late teething would bring happiness to the child.
As a conclusion, it is worth noting that these are the main signs according to which the future of the child and his mother can be determined based on the characteristics of the teething process.
Of course, you should approach everything with a smile and understand that real life has a rather weak correlation with fairy tales and customs of the Middle Ages. If a young mother likes to amuse herself with such stories, then no one forbids her from doing so. But there’s no point in worrying about “bad” signs either.
Popular beliefs
The first tooth erupts sooner or later.
- This happens early, before 4 months - soon the baby’s mother will become pregnant.
- He erupted late - indicating the extraordinary talent of the little man. It was believed that the baby would have a rare gift.
- How many baby teeth appear by the age of 1 year, the number of brothers and sisters he will have.
It was important which tooth erupted first.
- Any top one means a brother will be born soon, if the bottom one is a sister.
- Almost simultaneously, two upper teeth appeared and a gap between them - a good warning. According to ancient signs about children, he will be lucky and will have many partners.
It happens that babies are born with baby teeth. In ancient times, people were afraid of such children and believed that sooner or later they would turn into minions of black forces. Modern medicine explains this phenomenon by genetic predisposition.
- Rare teeth - a dreamer, will lie.
- Frequent - he will become amorous.
- A daughter/son grinds his teeth - he is being attacked by demons, there is negative energy around him that needs to be gotten rid of. Now it's for worms.
- Teeth take a very long time - the child will be lazy, capricious, and as an adult he will be prone to melancholy.
- If the teeth appear wide and elongated, the baby will be kind and happy.
- Short and thin - will be greedy.
